“There is no country in this world I’ve been to that has not been profoundly racist, which has been very painful, because I love travel and I love learning about other cultures,” Gay says. Which is why, with eyes upon her for thoughtful takes on the racial unrest in America, she points out that in her extensive travels, this is not just an American problem. In her books Bad Feminist, Difficult Women and Hunger: A Memoir of My Body, Gay approaches challenging topics with nuance and thoughtfulness and articulates them in a way many wish they could. When Gay speaks, people listen. Gay, rather, is a content creator in the traditional sense - an analog influencer whose words, through novels, short stories and essays, have permeated the culture. Even Twitter, where she’s creeping up to 1 million followers, is something she prefers to use less and less. “Nothing good ever happens on Twitter,” she says on the latest episode of The Carlos Watson Show, hosted by OZY’s co-founder and CEO. She’s not on TikTok learning challenges nor does she spend time debating the best hour to post a selfie on Instagram.
Roxane Gay is not a prototypical influencer.
